Process for the preparation of synthetic dl-tocopherols



Patented Dec. 3, 1946 j j. Y

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE rnoouss FOR THE PREPARATION .joF SYNTHETIC DL-TOCOPHEROLS Paul Karrer, Zurich, and Otto Isler, Basel, Switzerland, assignors to Hoffmann-La Roche Inc., Nutley, N. J a corporation of New Jersey No Drawing. Application August 12, 1941, Serial No. 406,555. In Switzerland March 31, 1938 14 Claims. (Cl. 260-333A) 1 2 The present invention relates to a process at 135 C. was produced from v-tocopherol which for the preparation of synthetic tocopherols has the empirical formula C28H4802. which are racemic with respect to carbon atom 2 It has now been found that by reacting triof the chrom'ane ring. methylhydroquinone or dimethylhydroquinone This application is a continuation-in-part of with isophytol of the formula f our application Serial No. 231,846, filed September 26, 1938. CH3CH(CH2)3CH(CH2)3CH(CH2)3C(OH).CH=CH2 Evans and collaborators (Mem. Univ. Califor- CH5 CH3 CH3 CH3 nia, vol. 8, year 1927) discovered that a nutritive factor which is indispensable for spermatounder acid conditions, and preferably in the presgenesis in male rats and the successful compleenc of acid condensing agents, compounds can tion of an existing pregnancy in female rats is be obtained which contain a heterocyclic ring contained in wheat germ oil and various foodwhich must be regarded as chromane derivatives stufis. They named the new biological factor of the general formula HO 1 (IJHQ v R I o-oH2omcmcnoHiomomcucmomomeuom yo CH3 om CH3 OH:

R V g vitamin E and described a biological method of 5 wherein two of the R radicals are methyl and the determination using female rats. Evans; Emerother is methyl or hydrogen. The reaction may, son and Emerson (J. Biol. Chem., vol. 113,year for example, be carried out in the presence of 1936, page 31-9, and vol. 122,, year 1937, page 99) anhydrous zinc chloride, formic acid or while succeeded in isolating three distinct chemical passing gaseous hydrogen chloride through the substances from wheat germ oil and various reaction mixture. It has also been found particuother vegetable oils which are responsible for the larly suitable to employ a combination of zinc vitamin E action of the starting materials. These chloride and hydrogen chloride... closely related compounds were named 00-, 13- The new compounds are the racemates, with and -tocopherols. Investigations by Fernholz respect to carbon atom 2 of the chromane ring,

(J. Amer. Chem. Soc.; vol. 59, year 1937, page of tocopherols obtained from natural raw mate- 1154; vol. 60, year 1938, page 700), Karrer and rials. They are light yellow, slightly vis ous oils collaborators (Helvetica Chimica Acta, vol. 20, which, in the cold, gradually reduce alcoholic year 1937, page 1422; vol. 21, year 1938, page 309), silver nitrate solution. On heating the reduction Bergel, Todd and collaborators (Biochem. J vol. proceeds quickly. These oils dissolve in concen- 31, year 1937, page 2257; J. Chem. 800., year 40 trated sulfuric acid with'a yellow color, and the 1938, page 253), as well as John and collaborators solutions fluoresce intensively after afew hours (Zeitschrift fiir physiologische Chemie, vol. 250, exposure to ultra violet light. The solution of year 1937, page 11; vol. 252, year 1938, pages 201, the compounds in chloroform yields a deepdark 208) confirm and supplement the knowledge of brown coloration on the addition of tetranitro-- the first-named investigators regarding tocophmethane, which gradually clears up. On thermal.

erols. decomposition the compounds form sublimates of Natural a-tOCODhEIOl was characterized by the durohydroquinone or trimethylhydroquinone. empirical formula C29H5002, by an allophanate When rats so far kept on a vitamin E-free diet melting at 158 C., by a p-nitrophenylurethane were giv'en'these synthetic compounds, it could melting at 131 0., and by a sublimate of durobe established that they rendered it possible for hydroquinone on thermal decomposition. s -To a'litt'er 'of healthy young rats to be born exactlycop'herol possesses the empirical formula 028114802, as did tocopherols isolated from n t a p o -i and yields an allophanate melting at 143-144 C. i The new compounds are to be used as pharmaand a sublimate of trimethylhydroquinone on ceutical preparations or as starting materials for thermal decomposition. An allophanate melting the manufacture of pharmaceutical preparations.

Example 1 remains as a viscous oil which readily reduces methyl-alcoholic silver nitrate solution. Afterv purification, preferably by distillation below: 1 mm. pressure, its absorption spectrum has a maximum at 294 ,u,u.. allophanate of melting point 172-1-73""C. The product is dl-a-tocopherol of the formula Example 2 4 parts by weight of isophytol, 2'parts by weight of 2,5-dimethyl hydroquinone and 2 parts by weight of Zinc chloride are suspended in 10 parts of decalin and heated. to 150 C. for one hour while passing carbon dioxide through the melt. The reaction product is cooled and water and ether added while stirring. The ether layer is separated, washed with water and potassium carbonate solution, then with hydrochloric acid, then with water, and finally dried with sodium. sulfate. The ether is removed, the residue dissolved in low boiling petroleum ether and absorbed on the aluminium oxide column. By eluting the yellowish brown upper zone, an oil is obtained. which reduces an alcoholic solution. of. silver nitrate on boiling and contains 0.2 per cent of active hydrogen by the Zerewitinoff determination. The product has the constitution ClEl iiulia;

and shows a melting point of 154 C.

Example 3 4 parts by weight of isophytol, 3.5 parts by weight of 3,5-dimethylhydroquinone and 1 part by weight of anhydrous zinc chloride are heated to 180 C. for one-half hour with stirring and introducing carbon dioxide into the melt, solution becomes homogeneou and after cooling is extracted with water and ether. The ether solution is washed with potash solution and then with water and the ether residue absorbed in an aluminium oxide column from low boiling petroleum ether. The chromatogram is developed with much petroleum ether, the whole of the lower part of the column becoming a whitish grey. The top layer ofthe aluminium; oxide column which carries very little color is removed and the lower zone extracted with 3 parts of'methyl alcohol and 1 part of ether. The solvent is evaporated in vacuo and the residue distilled on a molecular distillation apparatus. The compound is a yellow, slightly viscous oil, n/25D=1.501. It yields an allophanate. melting at 143 C. and is active biologically in doses of 5 mg.

The compound forms. a crystalline.

The

Example 4 1.5 parts by weight of 2,3-dimethylhydroquinone and 3 parts by weight of isophytol are heated with 10 parts by weight of anhydrous formic acid for six hours. The mixture is then cooled, diluted with water, extracted with ether and the ether layer washed with sodium hydroxide solution, then with water and the ether solution dried with sodium sulfate. After filtering from the sodium sulfate, a solvent is evaporated, taken up in a small quantity of low boiling petroleum ether and a chromat'ogram prepared on an aluminium oxide column. The upper layer of the column is I a yellow brown layer which, when eluted, contains the expected condensation product of the following formula:

CE: 011W (3H,

-010 CHa It is a viscous oil with a strong reducing action and contains one active hydrogen atom as shown by the Zerewitinofi determination. Its. melting point is at 146 C.

It is fully active when tested on rats kept on a vitamin E-free diet in doses of 10 mg.

Example 5 2 parts by weight of zinc chloride. 10 parts by weight of isophytol, 5 parts by weight of trimethylhydroquinoneare dissolved in a. mixture of 20 parts by volume of ether and 20 parts by volume of benzol, maintaining a temperature of 45-55 C, Dry hydrochloric gas is passed through the mixture until complete saturation, which requires from two to four hours. The reaction liquid is then washed with water, then with hydrochloric acid, again with water, then with sodium chloride solution and finally the ether-benzol solution is dried and the solvents removed, The material is then worked up as in previous examples.

We claim:

1. In a process for the manufacture of a tocopherol product, the steps of producing a tocopherol of the formula 0 CH3 CH3 CH3 CH5 wherein two of the R radicals represent a methyl group and the third R radical represents a radical selected from the group consisting of hydrogen and methyl radicals, by condensing a methyl substituted hydroquinone of the formula fromthe reaction mixture thus obtained.

2. In a process for the manufacture of a tocopherol product, the steps of producing a tocopherol of the formula CHu (J- oH1)zomcmnomomnonom o CH3: CH3 CH3 CH3 wherein two of the R radicals represent a methyl group and the third R radical represents a radical selected from the grou consisting of hydrogen and methyl radicals, by condensing a methyl substituted hydroquinone of the formula H0 II R OH wherein two of the R radicals represent a methyl group and the third R radical represents a radical selected from the group consisting of hydrogen and methyl radicals, with isophytol in the presence of zinc chloride, and recovering a tocopherol product from the reaction mixture thus obtained.

3. In a process for the manufacture of a tocopherol product, the steps of producing a tocopherol of the formula wherein two of the R radicals represent a methyl group and the third R radical represents a radical selected from the group consisting of hydrogen and methyl radicals, by condensing a methyl substituted hydroquinone of the formula lax 0H R copherol product, the steps of producing an a-tocopherol of the formula I CE: new (1H, CH3 c icn, acn(om)acn onmonona 0 on: on; CH3 om which comprises condensing trimethylhydro-. quinone with isophytol under acid conditions, and recovering a tocopherol product from the reaction mixture thus obtained.

6 5. In a process for the manufacture of a tocopherol product, the steps of producing an a-tOCOPhGlOl of the formula which comprises condensing trimethylhydroquinone with isophytol in the presence of zinc chloride, and recovering a tocopherol product from the reaction mixture thus obtained.

6. In a process for the manufacture of a tocopherol product, the steps of producing a tocopherol of the formula which comprises condensing 3,5-dimethylhydroquinone with isophytol under acid conditions, and recovering a tocopherol product from the reaction mixture thus obtained.

7. In a process for the manufacture of a tocopherol product, the steps of producing a tocopherol of the formula CHa I 0 CH3 CH3 OH; on;

which comprises condensing 3,5-dimethylhydroquinone with isophytol in the presence of zinc chloride, and recovering a tocopherol product I from the reaction mixture thus obtained.

8. In a process for the manufacture of a tocopherol product, the steps of producing a to- 45 copherol of the formula CH HO E C-(GH|):CH(CH2):CH(CH2):CHCH

0 011, cm on, cm H:

which comprises condensing 2,5-dimethylhydroquinone with isophytol under acid conditions, and recovering a tocopherol product from the reaction mixture thus obtained.

9. In a process for the manufacture of a tocopherol product, the steps of producing a tocopherol of the formula CH: e-kom omcm),omomnoncn.

VO (E H: 5H: CH: H:

CHI

which comprises condensing 2,5-dimethylhydroquinone with'isophytol in the presence of zinc chloride, and recovering a tocopherol product from the reaction mixture thus obtained.

10. A process for the manufacture of a tocopherol product which comprises reacting isophytol with an alkyl substituted para dihydroxy phytol with a methyl substituted para dihydroxy benzene in the presence of an acidic catalyst;

' 14. A process for the manufacture of a tocopherol product which comprises reacting isophytol with trimethyl hydroquinone inthe presence of formic acid.

PAUL KARRER.

OTTO ISLER. 

